Tuesday, December 31, 2013

On this the final day of 2013, The Racquetball Blog has put together its list of the Top 10 Racquetball Stories of the year. There were several to choose from, and before we get to the top 10 here are some Honourable Mentions: Rocky Carson, Rhonda Rajsich, Marco Rojas, Cliff Swain, and the doubles team of Jansen Allen & Tony Carson.

The Top 10 Racquetball Stories of 2013

10) Mexican Dominance at World Juniors. Mexicans won gold in four of the six World Cup singles divisions (U18, U16, U14 Boys & Girls) and swept all six doubles divisions at the 2013 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Juniors in Bolivia. It's the kind of performance that the USA junior team used to do, but the Americans haven't done in some time, and the USA had their worst outcome this year with only three (3!) medals. To be fair, two of their Junior National Champions weren't in Bolivia, but nonetheless it has to be a concern.

9) Maria Jose Vargas. The 2012 World Junior U18 Girls Champion made a big splash on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) in 2013 and is currently the 4th ranked LPRT player, having reached the semi-finals in four of the five LPRT events this season.

8) Daniel De La Rosa. There have been several young Mexican male players do well at the junior level, but none has really broken through at the senior level. Until now. De La Rosa has been on the radar for a few years, and this season he reached his first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) final, where he lost to fellow Mexican Alvaro Beltran. A string of good performances have got De La Rosa up to 6th on the IRT rankings.

7) World Racquetball Tour. A new racquetball association was created this year: the World Racquetball Tour (WRT). WRT events have been held in the southwest USA and in Mexico and Chile, and are aimed at developing mens players. The idea of having more racquetball competitions isn't bad in and of itself, although having another racquetball association that may be aimed at rivalling the IRT could be problematic if it leads to a division among the elite players, as in what happened in boxing, which had three different associations at one point each with their own champion in each weight class so it was difficult to figure out who, for example, was really the heavyweight champion of the world.

6) Alvaro Beltran. Beltran got the monkey, which was probably King Kong size, off his back by winning a IRT Tier 1 event in early November. He's been a winner in several other venues - internationally (IRF World Champion in 2000) and outdoors - but he hadn't got that big IRT win. Beltran's the 3rd ranked IRT player, and deservingly so.

5) Cristina Amaya. Amaya reached new heights in 2013. She was a silver medalist at the 2013 World Games in her homeland of Colombia, and late in the year reached the #3 position on the LPRT despite having some inconsistent results in the first half of the LPRT season. However, Amaya's game is clearly in the ascendency.

4) Jose Rojas. Rojas got his second career IRT win in Kansas City when he defeated IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk and IRT #2 Rocky Carson in back to back matches. Rojas has had some disappointing results, but he seems to have raised the top end of his game, so that when he's playing his best he has a great chance to beat anyone.

3) Young players on the LPRT. Several young players have played well on the LPRT so far this season, including Amaya and Vargas, mentioned above, but also Aubrey Kirch, Veronica Sotomayor, Maria Paz Muñoz, Frédérique Lambert and Sharon Jackson. The LPRT began a scholarship program to help young players get to events, and this was begun through a suggestion by Rhonda Rajsich, and good on her for doing so. The elite of the LPRT in recent years have been over 30, Cheryl Gudinas, Kerri Wachtel, Susana Acosta, as well as Rajsich, and though they can still play at a high level, there was a need for new players to step up and this scholarship program will help them do so.

2) Kane Waselenchuk. Waselenchuk lost in his first tournament of the IRT season, but then rebounded to win his 9th US Open, which was his record setting 71 career IRT win surpassing Cliff Swain's 70 wins. The record helps to solidify Waselenchuk's position as the best men's racquetball player ever, which is something we at The Racquetball Blog have thought for sometime.

1) Paola Longoria. Longoria's on court performance has been great - she's won every women's pro event since May 2011, and could be enough to put her on top of this list alone, although it would be close with what Waselenchuk has achieved. But Longoria's the top story because of the impact she's having in Mexico, where she is a big deal. Big. Deal. Forbes Mexican edition named its most influential women in Mexico and Longoria was included along with judges, lawyers, and social activists. A tournament was created in her name and televised live within Mexico. These are things that the men's game dreams of having, and they are the reason Longoria is the biggest story in racquetball right now.

Clearly, there were a lot of good stories in racquetball in 2013 and we look forward to more of the same in 2014, when we'll continue to…

Friday, December 20, 2013

Kane Waselenchuk is back atop the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings, moving ahead of Rocky Carson, who's now #2, on the basis of his win last weekend at the New Jersey Open, where Carson a semi-finalist. This ends the brief period that Waselenchuk spent in the #2 spot.

Waselenchuk has only lost one completed match since January 2009.

Daniel De La Rosa has reached a career high, as he's now the 6th ranked IRT player, moving ahead of Chris Crowther, who's now 7th.

In the next 10, Brad Schopieray and Alex Ackermann have switched places with Schopieray moving up two to 14th and Ackermann down two to 16th. Also, Charlie Pratt is back in the top 20 at 19th ahead of Mauricio Zelada, who's 20th.

The IRT resumes on the first weekend of the new year with the Coast to Coast California Open in Reseda, California January 2-5.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich the #1 and #2 players on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) following the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament last weekend in Monterrey, Mexico. But Cristina Amaya's time at #3 was short lived as she has fallen to #5 with Samantha Salas and Maria Jose Vargas, the semi-finalists in Monterrey, moving ahead of her into #3 and #4, respectively.

Vargas's #4 ranking is a career high for the 2012 World Junior U18 Champion.

Susana Acosta in 6th is the last of the players with over 600 points. Then there are six players in the 300 point range.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Jose Daniel Ugalde was the surprise winner of the New Jersey Open Men's Open division. Surprise winner, because he was the 8th seed, but the whole draw was a bit mixed up as of the top four seeds only 4th seed Sean Klingaman made the semi-finals.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Appropriately, Paola Longoria won the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico - a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Grand Slam event, but she didn't sweep the competition, as Rhonda Rajsich and Maria Jose Vargas won the doubles side of the competition.

In the singles final, Longoria beat Rajsich in three straight games, but the first two were by the narrowest of margins - only two points, as Longoria won 11-9, 13-11, 11-4.

Longoria is undefeated since May 2011, a streak of 98 matches (Tier 1 or Grand Slam).

But in doubles, Longoria and fellow Mexican Samantha Salas Solis lost to Rajsich and Vargas in a tie-breaker, 15-13, 13-15, 11-7. It's the second consecutive time the Mexican team has lost to Rajsich, as Rajsich and Sharon Jackson beat them earlier this year at the Pan American Championships.

The next LPRT event is the Wilson Tour for Hope in Cincinnati, Ohio from January 24th to 26th, 2014.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Kane Waselenchuk completed a successful return to the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) by capturing the New Jersey Open title in Warren, New Jersey with a win over Jose Rojas in the final, 11-6, 11-8, 2-11, 11-1. Waselenchuk had missed the previous two IRT Tier 1 events.

The win was also a measure of revenge for Waselenchuk, who lost to Rojas the last time they met, which was in September in Kansas City. That loss was the first in a completed match in four and half years.

They were close in game one, and the score was tied at 6-6, when Waselenchuk ran a string of points, which led to his 11-6 win.

Game two was similar, but it was Rojas who took the lead in the mid-game at 7-5 and 8-7. But again Waselenchuk responded positively, including an ace serve that made it 10-8.

Rojas fought off two game points, but on the third Waselenchuk hit a soft backhand shot on the third shot of the rally to win it, and go up 2-0.

Rojas could have folded his tent at that point, because the likelihood of winning three straight games on Waselenchuk is small at best. However, Rojas did nothing of the sort, and full credit to him, as he played an excellent game three, closing it out with eight points on eight rallies, 11-2.

But as great as Rojas was in game three, Waselenchuk was in game four, as he stormed out to a 5-0 lead on consecutive rallies, which caused Rojas to call a timeout, but no avail as Waselenchuk won four more consecutive rallies to lead 9-0.

Rojas didn't quit, as they went back and forth for a few rallies, with Rojas scoring a point, but the writing was on the wall, and Waselenchuk finished off at 11-1 to take his second title of the season and become the first multiple title winner this season.

Carson won last year's New Jersey Open, and Waselenchuk didn't play in it, so it's possible that combination of Waselenchuk's win and Carson's semi-final finish, Waselenchuk will regain the #1 IRT ranking.

The next IRT event is the California Open January 2-5, 2014. If you missed any of this weekend's action, you can check it out in the IRT Network archive (subscription required).

Paola Longoria will have a chance to win the tournament that bears her name, as she's reached the final of the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico - a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Grand Slam event. But getting there was not without difficulty.

In the semi-finals, Longoria faced her doubles parter Samantha Salas Solis. After winning game one, 11-4, Longoria found herself down 6-0 in game two, as Salas Solis drove serve effectively to the right side - Longoria's forehand. A timeout started a comeback, but Salas Solis never gave up the lead as she went on to win game two 11-9.

The LPRT's #1 player's response was emphatic, as Longoria blanked Salas Solis in game three 11-0. Game four was also one-sided, as Longoria closed out the match, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-0, 11-3.

Second seed Rhonda Rajsich will be Longoria's opponent in the final, as she defeated 6th seed Maria Jose Vargas in the other semi-final, 2-11, 11-1, 15-13, 11-7.

After a slow start to the season, when she had two early exits, Rajsich has rebounded to reach her third consecutive final.

Doubles

Longoria and Rajsich will play each other twice on Sunday, as they will also face off in the doubles final. And their respective partners are the players who they beat in the singles semi-finals.

Longoria and Salas defeated another Mexican duo in Susana Acosta and Sofia Rascon, 15-4, 15-5, in one doubles semi-final, while Rajsich and Vargas beat Americans Da'monique Davis and Sharon Jackson, 9-15, 15-8, 11-1, in the other.

Both finals can viewed via the LPRT Network Sunday afternoon. The singles final is set for 2 PM CST and the doubles final for 3 PM CST.

After a day with many upsets, the quarter finals of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico ran according to form, and all four higher seeds won in three straight games.

Friday, December 13, 2013

There's also a doubles competition at this weekend's Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in Monterrey, Mexico, as the Paola Longoria Invitational features nine doubles teams made up of the elite of the LPRT.

There's only been one upset through the first few matches, as the American team of Da'monique Davis and Sharon Jackson defeated the South American team of Maria Paz Muñoz and Cristina Amaya, 15-12, 15-8.

Next up for Davis and Jackson will be 2nd seeds Rhonda Rajsich and Maria Jose Vargas in what will be a battle of Pan American Championship gold medalists, as Rajsich and Jackson won gold at this Pan Am Championships back in the spring. They'll be on opposite sides on Saturday.

The New Jersey Open semi-finals will be 1 versus 4 and 2 versus 3, as Rocky Carson - the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will face #4 Jose Rojas in one semi-final in Warren, New Jersey, while #2 Kane Waselenchuk will face #3 Alvaro Beltran in the other.

And the four top seeds made short work of their respective opponents in the quarter finals, as all four of them won in three straight games.

Perhaps the most impressive display was by Waselenchuk, who brushed aside Tony Carson, 11-0, 11-3, 11-0, in 23 minutes. The third game had 15 rallies only a few of which were longer than three shots. Waselenchuk got up 6-0 on aces and third shot winners.

Maybe ironically, top seed Rocky Carson was the most troubled of the four in his match against Jansen Allen, which he won 11-6, 15-13, 11-2.

The turning point of that match was Carson pulling out the second game on his fifth game point opportunity. Allen had been up in that game, 5-1, but found himself down 10-7, yet battled back to tie it at 10-10 and then had the lead at 11-10. Allen served twice for the game, but unsuccessfully.

Carson won game two with a serve that he drove to the left side - Allen's backhand, which Allen couldn't return.

Like Waselenchuk's victory, Beltran's win over Daniel De La Rosa, 11-1, 11-3, 11-5, was also impressive. The first game went by in the blink of an eye, and Beltran led all the way in game two.

In game three, De La Rosa had a brief lead at 5-4, but Beltran didn't allow his young countryman any more points, as he closed out the game, 11-5, and match in three straight games.

It was the 3rd seeded Beltran's fifth victory over De La Rosa in the last five weeks.

Finally, 4th seed Jose Rojas also had a comfortable win over 5th seed Chris Crowther, who did not seem to be anywhere near the top of his game, as Rojas won 11-4, 11-3, 11-6.

The semi-finals from New Jersey can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network. Note that the final will be Saturday night at 7 PM EST.

Cristina Amaya was upset in the Round of 16 at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, as Aubrey Kirch came back from a 2-1 deficit in games to win in five games, 12-14, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4. It's a setback for Amaya, who recently achieved a career high by becoming the 3rd ranked LPRT player.

Kirch will face Maria Jose Vargas in the quarter-finals on Saturday, as Vargas defeated Jessica Parrilla, who was the big winner earlier in the day, in three games, 11-6, 11-3, 11-8. Vargas will be trying to reach the semi-finals for the fourth time this season, while Kirch has never got that far in a women's pro event.

But the top seed and the tournament's marquee player did advance to the quarter finals, as Paola Longoria beat Sofia Rascon, but it wasn't a sweep, as Rascon took a game from the LPRT's #1 player, as the final score line was 11-4, 6-11, 11-3, 11-2.

Longoria will play Jennifer Saunders in the quarters, as the 9th seeded Canadian had a mild upset win over 8th seed Da'monique Davis, 11-6, 0-11, 11-8, 11-9.

But there were bigger upsets Friday. For example, 20th seed Sharon Jackson knocked off the 4th seed Susana Acosta in four games, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, to reach the quarter finals for the first time in her career.

In another upset 10th seed Frédérique Lambert beat 7th seed Cheryl Gudinas, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10, to advance to the quarters for the second time this season, and second in her career. She'll play 2nd seed Rhonda Rajsich in the quarters, and Lambert beat Rajsich earlier this season on her way to the semi-finals in Toluca, Mexico.

All the higher seeds are through to the quarter finals of the New Jersey Open in Warren, NJ, this weekend's International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 1 event. But 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran had to battle back from two game deficit against 14th seed Charlie Pratt to win in five games, 1-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-3, 11-4.

It was the third time Beltran and Pratt had played a five game match, and the previous two were won by Pratt, including a US Open match in 2011, when Pratt was down 0-2 and came back to win.

Beltran's win puts him against Daniel De La Rosa for the fifth tournament in a little over a month. Beltran's won all four previous matches, but the last one was a five gamer at the Lou Bradley Memorial in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin last weekend.

We thought the highlight match in the Round of the 32 at the Paola Longoria Invitational on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) would be 11th seed Maria Paz Munoz against 22nd seed Jessica Parrilla, and it did not disappoint, as they played five games with Parrilla coming back from 2-1 down in games to win 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-2, 11-1. She'll now play Maria Jose Vargas, the 6th seed, in the Round of 16 later today.

Three other upsets in the 32s were not actually that surprising, as Aubrey Kirch, former World Junior U18 Champion, defeated Carla Muñoz, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6, and 20th seed Sharon Jackson defeated 13th seed Hailey Miller, 11-4, 11-4, 11-4, and former #4 player Krystal Csuk beat Linda Scales, who's going to be her doubles partner this weekend, 11-7, 2-11, 11-1, 12-10.

In addition to Vargas-Parrillia, the other matches to watch for in the 16s are Frédérique Lambert versus Cheryl Gudinas and Kirch versus 3rd seed Cristina Amaya.

No surprises in qualifying at the New Jersey Open - this weekend's International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 1 event in Warren, New Jersey. The closet match in the second round of qualifying was between Alex Ackermann and Joseph Palazzo with Ackermann winning in four games, 13-11, 13-11, 8-11, 11-3.

Matches from New Jersey can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The New Jersey Open - the International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) last event of the calendar year - begins today in Warren, New Jersey. has 23 players, and for the first time since April 2009, Kane Waselenchuk is the 2nd seed in the draw.

Rocky Carson took over the #1 spot on the IRT rankings last month as Waselenchuk has missed a couple of events and lost in the semi-finals of another. Thus, for the first time in over four and a half years Waselenchuk is seeded #2.

We expect that will only be more motivation for Waselenchuk, who has only lost one completed match in that four and half year span (there have been a couple of matches where he had to retire due to injury).

We anticipate that Waselenchuk will be lifting the New Jersey Trophy Saturday night, as the New Jersey Open's final will be Saturday night final, rather than Sunday.

Also in the draw, IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran is likely to meet fellow Mexican Daniel De La Rosa - the 6th seed - in the quarter finals, and if they do play, it will be the fifth time they'll have met on tour this season. Beltran's won all four meetings thus far, although last weekend in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin he needed a tie-breaker to fend off the younger Mexican.

But the main thing to look for this weekend is a return to form for the former - and likely future - IRT #1: Kane Waselenchuk.

Matches from New Jersey can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) plays the second of back to back tournaments this weekend with the Paola Longoria Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico. The event wasn't on the schedule at the beginning of the season, but has come together in the last couple of months to showcase Longoria - the LPRT's #1 player - in her home country.

Longoria is undefeated on the LPRT since May of 2011, and she'll look to extend her winning streak this weekend. And she will be playing doubles also with long term partner Susana Acosta; together they are two time World Champions in Women's Doubles.

But past Longoria, the field of 26 players for this weekend is strong, and there should be several good matches. The highlight match should be 11th seed Maria Paz Munoz against 22nd seed Jessica Parrilla, who played on the Mexican National Team at the World Championships last year.

The other matches to watch for in the Round of 32 are Chilean Carla Munoz against American Aubrey Kirch, and two all-American matches - Hailey Miller versus Sharon Jackson and Krystal Csuk versus Linda Scales, which is a battle of two players who will be teaming up in doubles.

Past that the whole bottom of the draw will be interesting as the Paz Muñoz and Parrilla winner will face 6th Maria Jose Vargas in the Round of 16 and 3rd seed Cristina Amaya will take on the winner of Carla Muñoz and Kirch.

Second seed Rhonda Rajsich's first opponent will be either Csuk or Scales, and if she survives that Rajsich could face either veteran Cheryl Gudinas or young Canadian Frédérique Lambert both of whom have had success against Rajsich, including Lambert's win over her the last time the LPRT was in Mexico back in September.

Still the weekend is set up to highlight Longoria, and anything less than a Longoria sweep - wins in singles and doubles - will be a surprise.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Cristina Amaya was named the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour's (LPRT's) most improved player this past weekend at the 22nd Annual Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia, and to back that up, she is now the 3rd ranked LPRT player, which is a career high for Amaya.

Previously, she was 4th, but a semi-final finish in Arlington bumped her up.

Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich remain the #1 and #2 LPRT players, and they are well ahead of the rest of the field. Longoria, who hasn't lost a LPRT match in two and half years, is over 1000 points ahead of Amaya and Rajsich is 469 ahead of Amaya.

Amaya and the next three players - Susana Acosta #4, Samantha Salas #5, and Maria Jose Vargas #6 - are all ranked in the 500s, so they are relatively close together.

There a drop in points to the next four players, who are within 35 points of each other. They are Adrienne Haynes in 7th, Veronica Sotomayor 8th, Cheryl Gudinas 9th, and Da'monique Davis 10th.

Jennifer Saunders has bounced back up to sit in 11th ahead of Grace Hughes in 12th and fellow Canadian Frédérique Lambert in 13th. Maria Paz Muñoz is 14th with T. J. Baumbaugh up to 15th.

Monday, December 9, 2013

There were two International Racquetball Tour (IRT) minor events on the weekend. Alvaro Beltran won the Tier 3 16th Annual Lou Bradley Memorial Pro-Am in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and Jansen Allen won the Christmas Classic in Boise, Idaho.

Daniel De La Rosa could be excused for having had enough of Beltran, as he was the loser against Beltran for a 4th time in a little over a month. But it took a tie-breaker this time, as Beltran won 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6.

Beltran defeated Tony Carson in one semi-final with De La Rosa beating Chris Crowther in the other.

At the 22nd Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia, Sharon Jackson won the Women's Open division by defeating Mariana Tobon Gordon, 15-6, 15-10, in the final. Jackson defeated Da'monique Davis, 15-13, 15-12, in one semi-final with Gordon beating Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-2, 15-10, in the other.

Finally, the Fremont Open was a World Racquetball Tour (WRT) event in Fremont, California, and Polo Gutierrez came out on top, as he defeated Alejandro Cardona, 15-4, 15-3, in the final. Gutierrez beat Gilberto Meija, 5-15, 15-11, 11-2, and Cardona beat Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 15-14, in the semi-finals.

Jaime Martell and Joshua Hungerford won the WRT Men's Doubles by defeating Fernando Rios and Jose Daniel Alvarez, 14-15, 15-7, 11-8, in the final. Martell and Hungerford beat Gutierrez and Meija, 15-14, 15-13, in one semi-final with Rios and Alvarez defeated Coby Iwaasa and Anthony Schonberger, 15-9, 15-14, in the other.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Paola Longoria won the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour's (LPRT's) 22nd Annual Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virgina for a third consecutive year, as she defeated Rhonda Rajsich in the final on Sunday, 11-2, 11-5, 11-5. Longoria closes out 2013 without losing an LPRT match, which is the second calendar year she's been undefeated. Her winning streak goes back to May of 2011.

The LPRT will be in action again next weekend in Monterray, Mexico, which will be the site of the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament.

LPRT Awards

In Arlington, the LPRT named their award winners of 2013. Longoria was named Player of the Year with Maria Jose Vargas named Rookie of the Year and Cristina Amaya as the Most Improved Player. The Janet Myer Sportsmanship Award went to Hailey Miller.

Those concerned about the state of women's high performance racquetball in the USA will note that none of the LPRT performance awards went to American women.

For the second consecutive Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, the final will be #1 versus #2, when Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich meet in the final of the 22nd Annual Christmans Classic in Arlington, Virgina.

Vargas was an upset winner over 4th seed Samantha Salas, 11-8, 11-8, 11-0, which might have an impact on the rankings next week.

Amaya ended Cheryl Gudinas's return to the LPRT, but it took five games to do so, as Amaya won in a tie-breaker after dropping the first two games to the veteran Gudinas, 12-14, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

You may have forgotten about them, as it's been two months since the last Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, but they are back in action this weekend with the 22nd Annual Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia, which is the first of back to back events, as the LPRT will down in Monterrey, Mexico for the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament.

Anyone who's unaware of Longoria's impact in Mexico hasn't been following Twitter, where Longoria has over 56,000 followers (a few more than Racquetball Blog has). The LPRT's #1 player, Longoria is hosting an event that's come about in the last couple of months, as it wasn't on the schedule when it was first released. And it will be an event with Grand Slam prize money. Very impressive and great for the LPRT.

In contrast, this weekend's event in Arlington is a little light on players, as there are only 18 in the draw. But it does include Longoria and her main rival Rhonda Rajsich, the LPRT's #2, as well as #4 Samantha Salas. Also, Cheryl Gudinas returns from her foot injury that's caused her to miss the first three LPRT events of this season.

Cristina Amaya is the 3rd seed and she's had a good year with two runner up finishes to Longoria. One was on the LPRT in September and the other was at the World Games. But she'll face Gudinas in the quarter finals, if they both win their first matches.

Rajsich, who's had some disappointing finishes, but did reach the final of the US Open, which is the last LPRT event, would likely face the winner of Amaya and Gudinas in the semi-finals.

On the top of the draw, Longoria's path to the final will likely go through Jennifer Saunders in the quarters and then either Salas or 5th seed Maria Jose Vargas, who's also played well recently. But Salas will have to defeat Sharon Jackson in the Round of 16, and Jackson could be the best young American player right now, having represented USA at the Pan American Championships earlier this year earning a bronze medal in singles and winning gold with Rajsich.

So, a small draw in Arlington, but there should be several good matches. You can follow the action live on the LPRT Network beginning at 4 PM on Friday with the Round of 16.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Mike Green and Frédérique Lambert won the Men's and Women's finals, respectively, of the Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event in Winnipeg on Sunday. Green - the reigning Canadian National Men's Champion - defeated 2nd seed Vincent Gagnon in the Men's final, 15-10, 15-12, while Lambert upset #1 seed and current National Women's Champion Jennifer Saunders in the women's final, 13-15, 15-6, 11-8.

This was the first Selection Event of the season, and the results from this event will be combined with the second Selection Event to be held in Brossard, Que. in January and the National Championships in May to determine the players who will represent Canada at the 2014 World Championships, which will be held in Burlington, Ont. next June.

Friday, November 29, 2013

The first Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event begins Friday in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Open. Players will be seeking their first points that will help qualify them for Team Canada that will play at the 2014 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships that are to be held in Burlington, Ont. Canada in June of 2014.

Mike Green, the current Canadian Champion, is still the player to beat on the men's side, despite the fact he turned 40 this past summer. He's on the top side of the draw, where 5th seed Coby Iwaasa may be his stiffest test. The 17 year old Iwaasa was runner up in the Men's Open division at the US Open last month and a bronze medalist in U16 at last month's World Junior Championships in Bolivia.

On the bottom of the draw, 2nd seed Vincent Gagnon and 3rd seed Tim Landeryou are the likely semi-finalists. Landeryou was runner up to Green at the National Championships in May and beat Green last February.

The women's side will likely come down to a two person battle between Canadian Champion Jennifer Saunders and Canada's #2 Frédérique Lambert. Lambert didn't play singles at Nationals due to an ankle injury, but she's fully fit now and has had some good results on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), including a semi-final finish in Toluca, Mexico.

Play begins Friday and runs through Sunday at the Duckworth Centre on the University of Winnipeg's campus.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Two changes in the top 10 in the latest International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings, but they are on the low end, as Daniel De La Rosa moves up one spot to 7th ahead of Tony Carson, who's 8th, and Jansen Allen moves ahead of Marco Rojas into 9th with Rojas 10th.

At the top, Rocky Carson remains the #1 IRT player, although that seems strange to write, but he did solidify that ranking by winning in Garden City, Kansas earlier this month. Kane Waselenchuk is #2 after missing the last two Tier 1 IRT events due to personal commitments and injury. Hopefully, Waselenchuk will be back for the New Jersey Open.

Rounding out the top five are Alvaro Beltran in 3rd, Jose Rojas in 4th, and Ben Croft in 5th. Chris Crowther is 6th.

There are also few changes in the next 10, although Brad Schopieray has pulled level with Mexican veteran Javier Moreno in 15th and Mauricio Zelada has entered the top 20 for the first time in his career. He's 19th.

The New Jersey Open - the IRT's fifth event of the 2013-14 season - begins in two weeks on Thursday December 12 and runs to Sunday December 15 in Warren, New Jersey.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Alvaro Beltran won the Mexico Open in Tijuana, Mexico - a Tier 3 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) - as he got the best of countryman Daniel De La Rosa, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10. It's the third time Beltran's beaten De La Rosa this month, as they met in both November IRT Tier 1 events: the Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan and the 23rd Annual Turkey Shootout in Garden City, Kansas.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Rocky Carson won the 23rd Annual Turkey Shoot tournament on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) in Garden City, Kansas on Sunday, as he beat Alvaro Beltran in five games, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 1-11, 11-6, to become the fourth different tournament winner in as many IRT events this season.

It's the first time that four consecutive IRT event have had different winners since the 2011-12 when Carson, Ben Croft, Jose Rojas and Kane Waselenchuk won consecutive events.

The win is Carson's 18th career tournament victory and solidifies him at the top of the IRT rankings. He became the #1 player in the latest rankings with the absence of Kane Waselenchuk from last weekend's Red Swain Shootout. Waselenchuk also wasn't in Garden City.

Game one was close all the way, but after Beltran closed to within one at 8-7, Carson got the serve back and won it with three consecutive drive jam serves to the left side that caused Beltran to turn around to try and return them. One of them went for an ace, which was Carson's third ace of the game.

Beltran stormed out to an 8-0 lead in game two and looked a lock to tie the match at 1-1. However, Carson then scored ten straight points to get a game point, but he didn't finish it. Beltran then scored four consecutive points to win the game, finishing it with a backhand down the line.

Momentum swung back to Carson in game three, as he won relatively comfortably, 11-4. However, Beltran did hold Carson at 9 for a total of eighteen rallies before Carson scored two straight points to finish the game with the winning point a drive ace serve to the right side.

So it looked like Carson was going to win in four, but racquetball's a funny little game and again momentum swung the other way, as Beltran cruised to an 11-1 win in only 19 rallies.

Afterwards, Carson said "I didn't play bad" in game four, but Beltran "caught fire." So, Carson just had to hang in there and try to wait it out, as "it's hard to sustain that" level of play.

In game five, they were back and forth early, and tied at 4-4. Then Carson pulled ahead. It went 5-4, 6-4, 7-4, and Beltran called a time-out. On the next rally, Beltran wanted a hinder, but none was called and Carson hit a forehand pinch to make it 8-4.

Carson made it 10-4 with another ace driven to the right side. Carson had nine aces in the match. Beltran stopped Carson's first two match points, and scored a couple points of his own, but on the third one Carson drove to the left side and then made a backhand cross court to the right side to win the game and match.

Carson said "it was a lot of pressure" playing against Beltran, and he "couldn't give [Beltran] too many to shoot."

Carson also said it "feels good" to win, because "last week was a tough loss," referring to his loss in three straight games against Daniel De La Rosa.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

It will be #1 versus #2 in the final of the 23rd Annual Turkey Shoot International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event in Garden City, Kansas on Sunday, although both Rocky Carson and Alvaro Beltran needed to survive early onslaughts by their respective opponents, Ben Croft and Jose Rojas.

Top seed Carson was up 8-2 in game one against Croft, but then Croft went one of his streaks as he ran off nine unanswered points to win it 11-8, when Carson skipped a shot to end a long rally in which Croft made a great get by diving to the left and hitting the ball to the ceiling.

Both players were serving drive serves and if necessary drive Z serves on second serve throughout the match.

In game two, Carson again had the lead early at 5-1, and again Croft came back to tie it at 6-6. But this time Carson got it to 10-6, and although Croft did hold him there and scored a couple more points of his own, Carson was able to finish it off with a jam serve to the left that jumped across the court and Croft could barely get his racquet on let alone return.

Carson led all the way in game three, although never by four, and Croft did narrow the lead to 8-6. But Carson closed it out at 11-7, as Croft skipped a backhand.

Game four was all Carson as he went out to an 8-0 that Croft had no real response to. The winning point came with Carson drive serving to the right - moss of his drive serves were to the left - Croft returned it cross court, and Carson hit a soft backhand pinch to the left corner for the match winner.

Afterwards, Croft admitted he skipped more balls that he should have, feeling that his timing was off. But with a couple more minor tournaments coming up, he's hopes to be in good form for the New Jersey Open in December.

In the first semi-final, Rojas almost blew Beltran off the court in the first game, winning 11-4. However, he couldn't keep up that pace, and Beltran switched from his typical lob serving on the right side to drive serving to both sides. Beltran did lob serve some of second serve, but Rojas wasn't as comfortable with it after the first game, when he ate those lob serves up.

They were close in game two, as they were tied at 5-5, but it was all Beltran after that as he won 28 of the next 34 points. Both of the the winning points in games three and four were Rojas skips, as it just wasn't his day.

Beltran has made back to back finals for the first time in a year, as he was also finalists in Davison, Michigan and New Jersey last season. If Beltran wins Sunday, he will be the first player other than Kane Waselenchuk to win back to back events since Carson won two in a row in the 2008-09 season (the Juarez Open and the California Open).

The final will be broadcast live via the IRT Network at noon on Sunday.

Friday, November 15, 2013

The top four seeds are through to the semi-finals at the International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) 23rd Annual Turkey Shoot in Garden City, Kansas, but it wasn't easy for most of them. Second seed Alvaro Beltran, winner of last weekend's Red Swain Shootout, had the easiest time of it in the quarter finals, as his opponent Daniet De La Rosa retired in the third game of their match due to injury, with Beltran up 2-0 in games.

Word is that De La Rosa had a pre-existing injury from last weekend's event, and reaggravated it today. In addition, he cut his hand diving during the match with Beltran. The combination of injuries led to De La Rosa's decision to retire rather than complete the match.

Beltran will face 3rd seed Jose Rojas in the semi-finals, as Rojas defeated Charlie Pratt, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7. Pratt started the match well, carrying over his excellent play from his Round of 16 victory over Chris Crowther, as he led 10-6 in game one.

But Rojas put together a three point run at the end of that game to carry some momentum over into game two. In that game, they were back and forth early, but then Rojas scored five straight points to go up 8-4. Pratt called a time-out but to no avail as Rojas won it 11-6.

Game three was all Rojas, and in it he began using some lob serves to the left: Pratt's backhand that Pratt wasn't comfortable returning. Rojas continued using that serve in game four.

Pratt did rebound in game four, as he tied the game at 6-6 and it looked like a fifth game was a possibility. But Rojas snuffed out that possibility winning it 11-7. The match point came on a scramble rally that Rojas ended with a winner to the left side.

Ben Croft, 4th seed, won his match in three straight games, but two of those games went into extra points, as he prevailed over Jansen Allen 12-10, 11-4, 14-12.

Allen is a control type player, and he seemed to be in control of game one, as he scored five straight point late in the game to go from 7-5 down to 10-7 up. But Allen couldn't get the last point as Croft went on a five point run of his own to win it 12-10.

Game two was all Croft, and game three started out the same way, as Croft went up 10-3, serving for the match. However, Allen didn't give up, and fought off four match points as he came back with eight unanswered points to lead 11-10.

But Croft got the serve back, and called a time out. When play resumed, he went back to drive serving, as he had been lob serving - something Croft does not do very often - and the change worked, as scored two points to get another match point.

Again Allen held off Croft, and scored another of his own to make it 12-12. That was where it stopped for Allen, as Croft regained the serve and finished off the match, winning it with a forehand pinch shot to the front right corner.

Top seed Rocky Carson also needed four games to advance, as he beat Tony Carson, 11-5, 5-11, 11-2, 11-6.

If Carson or Croft win this weekend, it will be the first time four different players have won four consecutive IRT events for the first time since the 2011-12 when Carson, Croft, Rojas and Kane Waselenchuk won consecutive events.

Prior to that you need to go back to the end of the 2000-01 season, which ended with wins by Sudsy Monchik, Jason Mannino, John Ellis and Cliff Swain.

Jake Bredenbeck came within two points of defeating the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) as he and Rocky Carson were tied at 9-9 in game four of their Round of 16 match on Friday at the 23rd Annual Turkey Shoot in Garden City, Kansas, with the young USA Junior Team member up 2-1 in games on Carson. However, Carson was able to squeak out game four and then won the tie-breaker as he defeated Bredenbeck, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7.

Bredenbeck was putting away forehand pinches into the front right corner, and generally drive serving, although he did hit some lob serves to the right side - Carson's forehand.

The other Round of 16 matches were all won in three straight games, although Charlie Pratt did upset Chris Crowther, 11-8, 11-4, 11-1. Pratt served well, and hit good shots on just about every opportunity he had. Crowther didn't lose the match; Pratt won it.

Only one upset in the qualifying round at the 23rd Annual Turkey Shoot in Garden City, Kansas - a Tier 1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event, where young American Nicholas Riffel defeated Robert Collins, 12-10, 11-3, 2-11, 12-10, to reach the Round of 16 for the first time.

Riffel will play Jansen Allen in the 16s on Friday.

As mentioned in our preview, we're not expecting any upsets in the 16s. Charlie Pratt is the most likely player to create one, but his opponent - Chris Crowther - is not to be taken lightly.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Perhaps appropriately the 23rd Annual Turkey Shoot in Garden City, Kansas - this weekend's Tier 1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event has 23 players. It's one of the smaller draws for a Tier 1 event you'll see, and there are only a couple of players in qualifying who will be threats in the Round of 16, so it will be all about which of the top 8 are ready to take the title.

That especially because IRT #1 - err, #2 actually - Kane Waselenchuk is not in the draw due to injury. That opens up the possibilities of winning to the field.

Could Alvaro Beltran, seeded 2nd in Garden City, win his second tournament in as many weeks after going years without a win? He'll probably have to defeat fellow Mexican Daniel De La Rosa, who was his opponent in the Red Swain final last weekend in Davison, Michigan, in the quarter finals, as they are seeded into the same section of the draw.

Or will Rocky Carson get on the board this season, and make it four different winners in as many IRT Tier 1 events? He is the top seed, and will have something to prove after getting thumped by De La Rosa in the semi-finals in Davison.

Or will 3rd seed Jose Rojas win his second tournament of the season? Rojas also had a disappointing Davison, as he lost to Cliff Swain in the Round of 16.

Finally, 4th seed Ben Croft is not to be overlooked, and he would dearly love to win his second career IRT event.

Everyone else should be considered dark horses, although De La Rosa and veteran Chris Crowther aren't quite as dark as the rest.

But with four strong contenders for the title, it should be a good weekend of racquetball in Garden City.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Only one change in the top 10 in the latest International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings, but it's a doozy, as Rocky Carson moves up to #1 ahead of Kane Waselenchuk, who drops to #2. The difference is only 10 points, and it's mainly due to inactivity by Waselenchuk, who wasn't in last week's Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan.

But it does speak to Carson's durability and high level of play, as you have to go back to Florida in 2012 to find the last time Carson didn't reach the semi-finals of a tournament (he lost to Alvaro Beltan in the quarters there), and he hasn't missed any tournaments in the span either. That's a long record of excellence.

Waselenchuk will still be the favourite to win the next event he enters, regardless of where he's ranked, which might not be as #1, because Waselenchuk won't be in this weekend's 23rd Turkey Shoot tournament in Garden City, Kansas, citing an injury as the reason for his absence. Of course, it also depends on how Carson does this weekend.

In the next ten, Jose Diaz continues to rise up the rankings, and is now #11. Also, the veteran Cliff Swain, bolstered by his semi-final finish last weekend, is up to #16.

The IRT's fourth event of 2013-14 is the 23rd Turkey Shootout in Garden City, Kansas beginning tomorrow November 14 and running to Sunday November 17.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Alvaro Beltran has won is first Tier 1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event after 26 tries, as he defeated fellow Mexican Daniel De La Rosa in the final of the Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4. It was the first IRT event with two Mexican players in the final.

Beltran said afterwards he "will never forget this club and this city." He was "so happy it happened" after "fifteen years on tour." Beltran didn't want to be a player never to win an event.

In three IRT events this season, there have now been three different winners: Jose Rojas in Stockton, Kane Waselenchuk in Minneapolis and now Beltran. This hasn't happened since the 2007-08 season when Rocky Carson, Jason Mannino and Jack Huczek won the first three events of that season.

The match was very even with both players using a variety of serves. Beltran often hit his characteristic lob to the right, which was a glass side wall, and De La Rosa did have some trouble with it, including skipping the return on game point in game one.

But Beltran also hit drive serves, and some off speed serves in game three, two of which went for aces.

De La Rosa was best when he was drive serving, which he did to both sides of the court. And he seemed especially confident when he drove serve on second serve also, which he did at the end of game two, which he won.

In game three, Beltran had an early lead at 5-0, but De La Rosa fought all the way back and took the lead at 8-7. It looked like the young gun might deny the veteran his long sought after prize. But Beltran got the serve back, and went back to the lob to the right, and made winning shots in the rallies to win it, 11-8.

They were close again in game four, when it was 3-3. But Beltran ran four points with several different serves - lob left, lob right, drive right, drive left - to make the score 7-3, and he never looked back, going to win 11-4 with match point coming off a back hand pinch shot to the left corner that was the third shot of a rally that began with a lob to the right side that De La Rosa returned cross court.

The night belonged to Beltran, who is no longer a contender for title of "Best Player to Never Win a Tier 1 IRT Event."

The next IRT Tier 1 event is next weekend in Garden City, Kansas at the 23rd Annual Turkey Shootout. Action begins on Thursday.

History is made every day, but some days are more historic than others, and such is the case today as for the first time in International Racquetball Tour (IRT) history two Mexicans will face off in the final of a Tier 1 event, when Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa play for the Red Swain Shootout title in Davison, Michigan.

Both Mexicans won their semi-final matches earlier on Saturday in three straight games. Beltran, the IRT #3 and second seed in this event, ended the fine run of former IRT #1 Cliff Swain, 11-7, 11-0, 13-11. Swain was playing in his first semi since 2006.

De La Rosa is a surprise finalist, as it's the first of his career and he upset Rocky Carson, the IRT #2 and top seed this weekend, but he did so in emphatic fashion winning 11-1, 11-5, 11-2.

Beltran has played in 26 finals with one win, but that was in a tournament was played as an exhibition rather than a real competition due to the court conditions. Thus, he's still looking for his first IRT title.

Beltran has won on the international stage, as he has three Pan American Championships and one International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championship to his name. For his part, De La Rosa has also been an international champion, as he won the 2011 Pan American Championship.

But they will be looking to make a different kind of history Saturday night.

The final can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network at 7 PM Saturday night.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Cliff Swain continues to turn back the clock at the Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan - a Tier 1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT), as he defeated Marco Rojas, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2, in the quarter finals on Friday evening.

Swain, the former IRT #1 player, is looking to win his first Tier 1 IRT event since February 2005, when he beat Shane Vanderson to win the San Diego Open. If he wins in Davison, he would tie Kane Waselenchuk as the winningest IRT player. Waselenchuk set the career record at 71 last month at the US Open, breaking the tie he had with Swain.

However, IRT #3 and second seed in Davison, Alvaro Beltran stands in Swain's way in the semi-finals on Saturday after Beltran beat Chris Crowther, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, in the quarters Friday.

On the top side of the draw, top seed Rocky Carson is through to the semis after beating Tony Carson, 9-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-7, in the quarters Friday. Tony Carson, who's no relation to Rocky Carson, won the first game on a long rally in which Tony dove twice to keep the ball in play and that ended in Rocky skipping a shot to the front right corner.

But the second game was all Rocky, as he won going away at 11-1. In game three, Rocky took a lead at 5-1, but Tony came back and tied it at 6-6. Rocky called a time out at that point, and after a couple of sideouts put a four point streak together that gave him a game point at 10-6.

Tony fought off two match points, scored a point of his own, but then succumbed to Rocky at 11-7.

Game four was similar, as the players were tied at 4-4, and then Rocky took a 7-4 lead, which he never relinquished, as Rocky went on to win that game 11-7, taking the match three games to one.

Rocky Carson's semi-final opponent will be Daniel De La Rosa, who upset 4th seed Ben Croft, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3. De La Rosa's win coupled with Beltran's raises the possibility that there could be an all Mexico final on the IRT for the first time in its history.

Matches can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network. Note, the final will be at 7 PM Saturday night.

Cliff Swain is turning back the clock at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event named after his father: the Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan, where he defeated IRT #1 Jose Rojas in four games in the Round of 16, 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-3.

Swain, a former IRT #1 player, will play another Rojas in the quarter finals later on Friday, as Jose's younger brother Marco defeated Jose Diaz, 11-1, 12-14, 11-2, 11-8, in the 16s.

There were no other upsets in the Round of 16, as other top seeds - Rocky Carson, Alvaro Beltran and Ben Croft - got through to the quarter finals without incident, although Beltran did drop a game against Marcelo Zelada, winning in four 11-4, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6. Both Carson and Croft won in three straight.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is back in action this weekend, and the preliminary round is complete at the Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan, where Eric Desrochers came back from two games down to upset veteran Andy Hawthorne in five games, 7-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6.

The win puts Desrochers in the Round of 16 on Friday against another veteran Chris Crowther.

Earlier, Mike Green lost to Greg Lawerenz, although it was by default. Lawerenz will play Mauricio Zelada in the second round of qualifying for a spot in the Round of 16 on Friday.